A Market Revolution
Inventions and innovations promoted regional specialization in the American economy. Each section of the country could produce something more efficiently than the other sections. Thus, the producers in these regions looked to sell the surpluses to other parts of the nation. Southerners looked to export cotton; westerners wanted to export wheat; northeasterners had plenty of textiles and manufactured goods to sell.
Advances in transportation made it possible for a thriving trade to develop between these different regions. Indeed, canals, roads, and steamboats made it possible to ship tons of goods across the nation cheaply and quickly. In the resulting market revolution, the American economy transformed into a nationwide network of commerce. The nationalists' dream of economic expansion had been realized.
Industrialization and the Sections
Consider the following essay question.
How did industrialization impact the relationship between Americans living in the North, South, and West in the first half of the nineteenth century?
If that question appeared on an essay test, you might compose a thesis statement something like the following:
Industrialization promoted economic specialization among the sections, which strengthened their commercial ties, but also contributed to the development of separate identities and agendas in the different regions.
What are some analytical main points that would support this thesis statement?
